[FEAT BC Admin]

In this discussion area, please feel free to share your experience in implementing A.B.A. programs in the school system. We would particularly like to hear from those parents who converted their school teams to A.B.A. We’d like to hear the nightmares as well as the success stories.

Any insight that can be shared by school-based special education assistants to help parents would also be very meaningful.

Topic

[bsharpe]

Thank you to the founder of FEATBC, Dr. Sabrina Freeman for providing this concise history.
<p align=”center”><b>How the BC Government Got Individualized Funding for</b></p>
<p align=”center”><b>Autism Treatment in British Columbia</b></p>
 

I thought it might be important to those of you in the new generation of parents to understand the history of individualized funding in BC, since you are fighting this battle again.

<b>The History of How BC Got Individualized Funding for Autism Treatment</b>

• In 1996, the B.C. government (NDP at the time) refused to accept the fact that there was an effective treatment for autism.  The Ministry of Social Services was only offering generic services (limited respite care for disabled children based upon a poverty/social services model).

• Local autism organizations at the time were not advocating for science-based treatment.

• Families for Early Autism Treatment of BC (FEATBC) was established in 1996 and started educating parents about science-based treatment.  In addition, FEATBC attempted to educate and lobby various bureaucrats and politicians.  Unfortunately, FEATBC was ignored despite considerable high profile publicity (see the FEAT-BC media page).

• Due to the complete disregard of autism treatment requirements, parents active in FEATBC organized their 1st lawsuit and invited everyone to join.  There were many brave parents (30 in fact) who stepped up to the plate and joined (and found the $5000 each to fund the lawsuit).

• As the lawsuit worked its way through the courts, parents kept advocating. Governments came and went but the unelected MCFD bureaucracy and technocracy still fought parents every step of the way.  It is important to understand that the last thing government apparatchiks want is to give parents the choices to decide what is best for their children.  The only way parents have power to choose in the current system is through individualized funding.  There was and still is an extremely paternalistic view of parents once they have a disabled child.  The system wants to keep them in the poverty model even though poverty has nothing to do with disability (until the government makes you poor because you’ve spent everything you have to provide treatment).

• When the Auton case was won at the BC Supreme Court level, the government was mandated to provide medically necessary autism treatment; however, the judge could not order the government to put autism treatment into Medicare, since micromanaging government is not the role of the judiciary. So the government decided to create three Hubs (sound familiar)?  They didn’t call them hubs but rather so-called autism treatment centers.  For $2,500,000 they were going to “treat” 25 children for 20 hours a week.  Their solution was to have 75 children inefficiently “treated” while thousands languished on the waiting list.   As you have probably figured out by now, it is blindingly obvious that MCFD <i>couldn’t run a hotdog stand at a baseball game. </i>

• While the Ministry for Children and Families was working on their autism centers to treat 75 children, families were busy at work lobbying for individualized funding.

• In 2001, families successfully lobbied to implement the individualized funding model you have today.   FEATBC developed a policy brief for Gordon Campbell’s newly elected government (here is a copy of the Choices in Autism Treatment brief which is the program template used by government). Within a week of the brief’s delivery, a first-of-its-kind individual funding program for autism treatment was announced.  That is the program you’ve had for the last 20 years.

• The capacity issue that government always uses for long waiting lists and a lack of autism treatment was actually solved by individualized funding.  The number of BCBAs flourished since this is now a well-funded profession where bright, young therapists can pursue advanced degrees and make a good living.  It’s basic Economics 101!  The shortage of autism professionals in the hinterland can be easily solved; give more money to parents in parts of BC where there are few professionals. Professionals will either travel or relocate into areas where they can now make a living.

<b>Government’s Likely Agenda</b>

• The number one reason that NDP governments dislike individualized funding is that the service providers are not unionized.  They care primarily about workers’ rights, not the treatment of children with autism.  If you do not believe me, I encourage you to read the Supreme Court of BC 2006 Hewko decision, which addresses the shocking incompetence of unionized paraprofessionals in the public school system.

• MCFD’s main argument today is that the <i>Hubs</i> will eliminate diagnostic waiting lists by eliminating the requirement for a diagnosis. That is interesting since it is the government that has <i>created</i> diagnostic waiting lists.  Any developmental pediatrician, psychologist or psychiatrist is capable of diagnosing autism.  Multidisciplinary teams are not essential.  If the government would not funnel children into centers that diagnose autism, there would be no bottleneck.  Moreover, the fact that they want to have children in hubs <b><i>without a diagnosis</i></b> indicates that they have no intention (not to mention ability) to effectively treat children for their core health need — autism!

<b>The Fear Factor</b>

• From 1996 to 2021, politicians and government bureaucrats respected and perhaps were somewhat intimidated by the parent lobby; however, after 25 years, there is a new generation of bureaucrats and politicians who have no collective memory of the public debate and the political price government paid for victimizing children with autism.

• In the provincial election of 2001, the NDP lost 77 out of 79 seats to the Liberals.  Some of this loss can be attributed to their disgraceful policies towards children with autism and the very loud media campaign waged by FEATBC.  Suffice it to say that there was a very public slagging of the NDP due to their abhorrent behavior with respect to children with autism.  Many staunch NDP supporters could not stomach these policies and voted accordingly (see the George Straight’s autism editorial opinion). Today’s NDP politicians and bureaucrats do not have the collective memory and are regrettably careening in the same direction.  Parent advocates would be wise to remind them of the political price reflected in that historic 2001 election.

<b>The Future</b>

I believe that in every generation there are competent parents who can organize the thousands of parents who are struggling to provide the best possible autism treatment for their children.  You need to find parents who are collectively oriented and are prepared to use their political and/or professional connections to find talented, strategic advocacy and legal representation.  These parents need to empower other parents who may never have engaged in any kind of advocacy until circumstances force them to protect their children from the MCFD’s politicians and bureaucrats.  Now is your time.

Best regards,

<i>Sabrina </i>

Note:  There is much detail at the FEATBC website (http://www.featbc.org ) for those of you who want to find more information.  We have kept a tremendous amount of material online, available to serve the needs of advocates and lawyers who choose to fight for the rights of children afflicted with autism, for moments such as this.

[bsharpe]

October greetings!

Here is the October newsletter from The Association for Science in Autism Treatment.

https://mailchi.mp/asatonline/science-in-autism-treatment_2021_10

Articles include:

1. Review of Remaking Recess Intervention for Improving Peer Interactions at School for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder 
2. Review of Remaking Recess Intervention for Improving Peer Interactions at School for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Gary S. Meyerson.
3. An Updated List of Annotated Resources Related to Bullying Prevention

The Association for Science in Autism treatment offers a free, monthly publication.  Sign up now at:  asatonline.org

[bsharpe]

October greetings!

Here is the October newsletter from The Association for Science in Autism Treatment.

https://mailchi.mp/asatonline/science-in-autism-treatment_2021_10

Articles include:

1. Review of Remaking Recess Intervention for Improving Peer Interactions at School for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder 
2. Review of Remaking Recess Intervention for Improving Peer Interactions at School for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Gary S. Meyerson.
3. An Updated List of Annotated Resources Related to Bullying Prevention

The Association for Science in Autism treatment offers a free, monthly publication.  Sign up now at:  asatonline.org

[bsharpe]

April greetings!

Here is an introduction to The Association for Science in Autism Treatment by actress Nikki Estridge:

https://fb.watch/4McWBiXDrU/

 

Here is the April edition of the ASAT newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/asatonline/science-in-autism-treatment_2021_04?e=%5BUNIQID%5D

[bsharpe]

December greetings!

The December newsletter from The Association for Science in Autism Treatment is here!

https://mailchi.mp/asatonline/httpsmailchimpasatonlinescience-in-autism-treatment_2020_12a

Articles include:  Avoiding the Pitfalls of Circular Reasoning

Autism Awareness in the Middle East: Adventures in Dissemination to School Age Children

Increasing Appropriate Conversation Skills Using a Behaviour Skills Training Package for Adults with Intellectual Disability

and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Shining a Spotlight on NeuroLogica: The Importance of Data Based Science.   This website introduces you to a variety of fads

and treatments pertaining but not limited to Autism.

Our Board members wish our FEATBC readers a safe and happy holiday season.  Wear your mask, wash your hands, social distance and reach out to friends and family if you need to talk to someone.  This holiday season is challenging, but we will get through it.  Stay safe.

[bsharpe]

November greetings!

Here is the Association for Science in Autism Treatment newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/asatonline/science-in-autism-treatment_2020_11

In this month’s newsletter:

An article on Retraction of Published Research – a self correction tool that can be used by the scientific community

An interview with Erika Gleeson, founder and CEO of Autism Swim.   This international organization focusses on wandering and drowning prevention.

An article “Countering Evidence Denial and the Promotion of Pseudoscience in Autism Spectrum Disorder

An article: “Real Life Experience of Medical Cannabis Treatment in Autism: Analysis of Safety and Efficacy

Fundraising:  Do you have a birthday, milestone or event coming up?  Would you like to make a large impact with little effort?  Think about pledging your next event to ASAT!  This article will help you to do that!

From our Board of Directors, we know that this pandemic has presented challenging times on many levels.  Please stay the course, stay safe, wear your mask, wash your hands frequently, use hand sanitizer, social distance and minimize your holiday and social gatherings.  Reach out to your friends and neighbours via the phone, email, and by mail.  Stay connected and stay safe.   We will get through this.

[bsharpe]

Greetings!

Check out the Association for Science in Autism Treatment’s September newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/asatonline/science-in-autism-treatment_2020_09?e=aa6469092a

A must-read for parents, educators, service providers, medical personnel, policy makers and politicians.

ASAT is a not for profit, volunteer group with a half-time director whose mission is to keep science at the forefront of

every conversation around autism treatment.  This is a free newsletter.  ASAT wants to educate, inform, and give the reader science

based information around all of the 500 purported treatments for autism.  To date, Applied Behaviour Analysis, ABA,  is the only treatment with

scientific data, replication site studies and peer reviews, behind it.

[bsharpe]

Hello everyone!

Check out the most recent Association for Science in Autism Treatment newsletter for August 2020.

The following articles are in this issue:

When should parents be included in the implementation of a behaviour intervention plan?

How can I teach my child to cooperate wearing a face mask?

A brief treatment summary of Facilitated Communication, and

from our archives:  Caveat Lector:  Let the Reader Beware .

ASAT is a non profit, 100% volunteer board with one part time position vigilant in keeping science at the forefront of every conversation on autism treatment.  ASAT is committed to providing science based information on autism treatment for parents, service providers, educators, politicians and policy makers.

Sign up for this valuable, information-filled, free monthly publication at:  asatonline.org

[bsharpe]

Hello everyone!

The Association for Science in Autism Treatment is pleased to share its July newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/asatonline/science-in-autism-treatment_2020_07b?e=aa6469092a

This free publication is a must-read for parents of children with autism, family members, the medical community, and service providers who want accurate, science-based information about treatments for autism.

In this July Newsletter you will find the following articles:

-Cannabis/Marijuana as Treatment for Autism

-Clinical Corner: What are She Essential Skills in a Covid 19 era?

-Book Review:  A review of Teaching Social Skills to People with Autism: Best Practices in Individualizing Interventions

-BCBAs and Sensory Issues

-Social Media: ASAT Launches Instagram Page!

 

You can sign up for this free publication at newsletter@asatonline.org

[bsharpe]

Greetings!

The Association for Science in Autism Treatment, June newsletter is here!

https://mailchi.mp/asatonline/science-in-autism-treatment_2020_06?e=aa6469092a

In this newsletter you will find: an interview with Dr. Francesca degli Espinosa who recently published a telehealth model, supporting families in Italy,

during the Covid-19 crisis.

-A book review of:   Practical Ethics for Effective Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder by Brodhead, Cox and Quigley

-In our Clinical Corner section:  What is involved in an early, intensive ABA program for autism.

-From our archives: Productive meetings in home ABA programs.

The Association for Science in Autism Treatment is a not-for-profit, volunteer organization.

ASAT’s mission: We promote safe, effective, science-based treatments for people with autism by disseminating accurate, timely, and scientifically sound information, advocating for the use of scientific methods to guide treatment, and combating unsubstantiated, inaccurate and false information about autism and its treatment.

Subscribe now for this valuable and free monthly publication at https://asatonline.org/newsletter/

[Author]

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